Before & After Pictures

Zoey before raw...well 2 or 3 days into raw notice the redness on face/legs

Zoey about 3 months into eating raw, notice staining going away, notice lean body?

 Zoey 14 months into eating raw, absolutely no more staining on face/feet/legs

Do raw fed dogs live longer?

I have often wondered about that.  I know I am on several yahoo groups that are about Raw Feeding, Natural Care etc, and have come across many dogs who are 13 or 15 who do not look nor act their age.  Most are raw fed from birth or shortly thereafter, limited or no vaccines, no chemicals (flea/hw etc).  This link was shared on one of the groups I am on and I am excited to share it with you, as it PROVES that dogs fed a Natural Appropriate Diet live longer....

Clicky for Lippert-Sapy Study on Canine Longevity 
Click on the link then it is the 3rd section down, click on it to read the study 
"Lippert-Sapy Study on Canine Longevity: The findings of this study present convincing evidence of the importance of an appropriate natural diet on health and longevity. Statistical analysis of data from the study showed that animals eating a more species appropriate diet lived almost 3-years longer than pets eating commercial pet food products."

The Benefits of Feeding Raw

I just wanted to share some of the benefits I've noticed since feeding raw, we have been feeding raw for 4 months now:
1- No doggie odor Zoey & Ziva do not smell, my golden's ears don't stink like they did on kibble.
2- Softer coat, their coats are so soft & luxurious, I think my goldens coat is more radiant than it was on kibble, definitely noticed less shedding
3- Better health, granted Zoey's having issues at the moment, but this is NOTHING compared to her normally getting throat infections every other week, this is the first one in 4 months which isn't bad in my book.
4- Allergies, Zoey is no longer chewing/licking herself, the white on her front legs is coming back, she is also completely off of her antihistamines & urinary acidifier, and we've been able to drop her steroid down to every 4th day now, the steroid is for hydrocephalus
5- Ziva seems to respond better to training than most of the kibble fed pups I've trained in the past, she has more focus
6- Hyperactivity my golden is an obnoxious twit sometimes, but since feeding raw her energy levels are more stable, and she's not nearly as obnoxious or hyper
7- Teeth, while I haven't seen the completely clean teeth I have noticed a difference in the amount of tartar on Zoey's teeth. She just hasn't wanted to eat bones in a while so it's hard getting that benefit.
8- Fewer collapsed trachea episodes, they don't seem to be as severe either.

What are some of the benefits you've seen with raw?

Does Raw Make them easier to train?

So I have been working with Ziva on training and OMG she's stubborn in some regards but smart as a whip in others. In just a few (less than 5) very short sessions, she has 'grasped' the concept of sit, down, puppy push-ups (sit/down quickly), roll over, army crawl, give me 5, other paw, & stick em up, working on smiles (she smiles & shows her teeth) & get those fleas (scratching) & army crawl. A lot of these we are just shaping with the clicker as she offers them, but she is catching on quicker than I've ever had a dog catch on. Is raw to attribute to that? I've heard lots & lots that Min Pins are VERY difficult to train as they are very stubborn.

What's the difference?

I've been asked several times, what makes feeding a 'little' dog different than feeding a big one.  Well for one thing Zoey my 4# chihuahua only eats 2oz per day whereas Shellie my golden retriever eats 20x that much at 22oz per day.  Little dogs I have found don't need bone in their meals as much once they are off of the introductory period.  Zoey only gets bone 2x a week, Georgie gets bone every 3-4 meals, Shellie (who has a sensitive stomach) has to have bone every other meal to regulate her stools.  Another difference, is feeding 50% red meat (which I've heard is the ideal) isn't that difficult to do since a 2# roast will make 32 meals for my little Zoey and I got one for $3 so that made each meal less than 10 cents, you can't argue with that.  As far as organs go, Shellie gets them daily, my little dogs get them once a week.  Those are the main difference I am finding, as well as what 'boney' meals they can handle.  Zoey won't attempt to eat anything other than a pork neck bone, a cornish hen bone or the meat off of a beef rib bone.  She doesn't like the bigger cuts of meat either.

My little pro

Ziva our new little Miniature Pinscher is eating raw like a pro, this week I ran out of Cornish Hen and we are squeaky tight on the budget so couldn't go run & get some so had to cut up some chicken thighs and Ziva is eating them like a pro!  She was diagnosed with Ringworm last week, and I really think the Raw and no vaccines is helping her immune system fight it quicker.  My cats took almost 2 months to get over it, her areas are already starting to look better.  GO RAW!

Zoey Update

One of our friends (Rylee & Frida) on one of our Chihuahua forums/groups made this for Zoey just because, it's an adorable harness dress, anyways I took these pictures and was noticing Zoey really is looking great.  Her front legs are really white now, even on her toes.  I am so happy!  For so long they have been stained brown/red from her looking.  Not to mention her figure is looking very svelte and trim.  

Here is a 'before' picture taken when she first started eating raw:

Here is Zoey now:

Raw Benefits

I was talking to my vet/dad today (who seriously is considering switching his dogs to raw) and was telling him some of the benefits I've noticed in my 2 little dogs since switching to raw. Keep in mind we are just 2 weeks into feeding raw and are still on chicken/cornish hens only.

Zoey:
Less Itchy
Less Licky Louing herself (she used to lick her front legs obsessively
Glands under her neck/throat aren't as swollen, they are constantly swollen/enlarged due to her chronic health issues, noticed last night they are going down
Urine is not smelly at all! (She's pad trained and in our kitchen and some days her pee can clear a room).
Not shaking all the time anymore.
More energy

Georgie
Not as anxious, more relaxed, even behavior
Less eye crustiness & drainage
Smaller Less Smelly Poops

I am starting Shellie on raw today, and hoping to see behavior benefits (spastic/ocd/adhd) for her, as well as going to contact a homeopath to help with vaccinosis.

More on Georgie self regulating....

Georgie didn't finish his entire meal again tonight, as you can see he is giving me the  "Are you crazy look?"  We are still getting the hang of this so in an attempt to make it more 'appealing' to him I offered his cornish hen leg to one of the 3 kitties who were standing by hoping for a dropped tidbits....Mercedes (Cedes) would have GLADLY taken it off his hands, I put it away to save it for tomorrow.  Zoey at all her dinner, as usual lol.  She's my little toy hoover :-)  I noticed today that Zoey isn't shaking/shivering all the time like she used too.